


Softer Edges

by Red_Dead



Series: Softer Edges [1]
Category: Voltron: Legendary Defender
Genre: Gen, Lotor and Lance - Freeform, M/M
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-02-18
Updated: 2017-02-25
Packaged: 2018-09-25 10:58:16
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 5
Words: 14,923
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/9816866
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Red_Dead/pseuds/Red_Dead
Summary: Lance is wounded protecting Galra Women and Children from Space Pirates.Because of his actions, he is taken care of by a Galra named Lotor, who's more than he seems.Lotor and Lance learn about each other and why they both fight on different sides.





	1. Meeting

**Author's Note:**

> Comments are LOVED. The more Comments I get, the faster I'll write and update.
> 
> The Rating may change, due to fan demand if you want readers what smut or stuff. If not, I'll just leave it to the imagination.
> 
> This is also based on the design of More Squiggly Lines
> 
> http://moresquigglylines.tumblr.com/post/157061680627/space-prince
> 
> and
> 
> http://moresquigglylines.tumblr.com/post/157400202022/space-turtle-prince
> 
> and
> 
> http://moresquigglylines.tumblr.com/post/157297006137/im-a-big-fan-of-space-legolaslotor-but-i

Lance held tight to the bleeding wound on his stomach. The red liquid, warm and seeping as he held his Bayard high with his free hand. Behind him were women and children. Alien to him, Galra to him but nonetheless, they were people. 

Lance was a Paladin, he had to protect, even if it was the enemy.

Lance was alone to keep them safe from harm from something that wasn’t Galra. It was Space Pirates, neither for or against Zarkon. 

With a desperate cry, he called on the communications again in his helmet.

“Guys, I need your help here!” Lance swallowed back the blood that pooled in his mouth. “The Pirates are breaking the door down and I’m wounded.”

Lance glanced behind him, seeing that the Galra women were ready to fight if need be. Fight together to stop the threat and protect the children. He couldn’t help but smile, finding some kind of irony in the phrase “the enemy of my enemy.”

Here he was, ready to go down with a fight with the supposed bad guys.

The door the kept the monsters at bay, was breaking down. Each slam into the door, cause the growing opening to cause the few fighters in the room to ready themselves. Lance narrowed his eyes, ready to let loose. 

Then the banging stopped. Cries and screams could be heard on the other side of the door as they were being massacred. Lance looked around him, watching as the Galra women let their guard drop, smiles on their face. 

Lance wanted to relax, but he knew he couldn’t. The Space Pirates were dealt with, now he had to deal with being alone in the Galra territory, wounded. He lowered his Bayard, letting his gun fade away to an easy handheld object. 

He fell to his knees, holding his wound and breathing heavily. He knew it was best to surrender than fight now. He had only hoped what action he had done to protect the women and children, would give him some protection.

It wasn’t long before that door opened by the force of the Galra, leaving one lone Masked Galra to walk in with sword in hand. One of the children left the group, running up to the man’s arms, crying. 

Lance couldn’t help but give a tired, defeated smile. He lowered his head, ready for whatever fate to fall before him. He gave a small chuckle, knowing the blood loss was getting to him. 

For a moment, he thought of his family. How his younger siblings used to run into his arms. How his mother’s laugh made everything right. How is father's large hands used to ruffle his hair. How his older brother used to throw him over his shoulder. How his older sister used to put make on him for practice. How he missed his grandfather’s cooking and his grandmother’s knitted blankets.

He fell forward, his hand falling away from his wound, as he had no strength left to hold it there. His whole body was going numb. He was vaguely aware as one of the Galra women laid him down on his back, pulling his helmet off. The ground was cool and hard underneath his head. 

Her large hands pressing down hard as, what Lance hoped, was a plea for his safety. 

He had hoped the Garla woman would tell how he took the blade, so the child in the Galra man’s arms wouldn’t die. 

That hope, quickly vanished as his whole body started to shake and a rush of blood escaped his mouth. 

That hope was quickly replaced with fear. He was going to die if he didn’t get help soon.

The world around him was dimming and fading away in a blur of muted colors. Tears in his eyes, he closed them, falling into the arms of the darkness he knew would eventually take him to death's door again.

And then Lance felt nothing.

*****

That was until he woke up in a soft warm bed.

Lance lay, dazed and tired. The soft bedding he lay on, was smooth on his skin. It was softer than his mother’s silk scarf he used to hold onto when he was a child. He let out a heavy sigh as he relaxed into it, remembering home and how far away he was from it.

He moved his arm up, resting it on his eyes, pressing back the tears he didn’t want falling now. He knew he had to figure out where he was and why he was given such accommodations.

He slowly pushed himself up, feeling the pull on his stomach. With a hesitant glance, he lifted to soft clothing material to glance at the wound.

He was healed, but a scab was there to remind him to take things slow. He placed a hand on it, knowing it would lead to a scar if he didn’t take care of it. He moved his hand away, before pulling the covers off of him. His naked feet touched the cold metal ground, sending chills up his spine.

He stood up, making sure he was grounded before he started walking. He didn’t want to fall and end up hurting himself even more. With a curious look, he glanced around the room he was in. It was decorated nicely, almost like it was a room to be enjoyed and nothing like the prison he thought he would have been thrown into.

Lance swallowed hard. He was relaxed when he shouldn’t be. He was weaponless and didn’t have anything to contact his team with. Lance let his eyes drop.

“They probably think I’m dead…” Lance scratched the back of his head. He shouldn’t have been out in the first place. He had so notion to take a pod out and try to pick up some space girls in his Paladin outfit. He thought it would gain him some points, but it ended up getting him looped in some kidnapping ring. 

The only door opened in the room, causing Lance to jump and hold his back against the wall. A strange looking Galra walked in. He was almost feminine looking, his long white hair trailed behind him. His purple skin seemed to shine in the lighting, like stars that decorated the night sky.

The Galra man rose his hands on, to show no harm.

“Relax Paladin.” The man placed a soft smile on his face, causing Lance to let his shoulders drop a bit, but not his eyes. “I am Lotor. The one whom was part of the rescue party.”

Lance let his blue eyes trace the man before him, studying him. He could see the Galra was different looking from others. He looked different, less bulky and more refined. It was as if he was half Galra and half something else.

“Where am I?” Lance finally broke out. He was trying to keep his voice from cracking, but to no avail. “How long have I been out for?”

Lotor let his hands drop, leaning on the doorway as he crossed his arms. He too was studying the man before him.

“It has been three days. You are in on of Zarkon’s special ships for Royalty.” Lotor watched as fear came across the Paladin’s face, quickly causing him to try to calm the man before him. “Zarkon is not here, so please do not fear. He probably isn’t even aware that you are among us.” 

Lotor could see the strange being thinking, wondering what to say next.

“Why am I here?” Lance lowered his head, keeping the thought of Shiro in his mind and the Gladiator Battles he was forced into. “And not in a dungeon or something…”

Lance’s heart fluttered for some strange reason as Lotor broke into a small laugh. The large smile was true and caring.

“The women and children you took care of and protected, there were women belonging to Zarkon. Among those children, was one of Zarkon’s own bloodline.” Lotor bowed his head to the Paladin. “Thank you for protecting our little Princess.”

Lance relaxed, letting a smile cross his face as the thought of that little girl who was so scared she couldn’t move. It was almost sad to know that she was part of something he was trying to kill.

“Is she, is the Princess okay?” Lance asked, watching the surprise grace Lotor’s face.

“Normally when people find out she is a child of Zarkon, it’s fear, not questioning her safety.” Lotor could see the Paladin was not like that of the old. He wasn’t cold, he wasn’t sadistic like the previous ones. Like his father was.

“She’s a child.” Lance remembered that girl holding tight to the Galra that killed the Space Pirates. “And her smile, there’s no evil in that, regardless who her father is.”

Lotor looked down at the ground, a soft smile on his almost angelic features.

“You are too kind Paladin.” Lotor looked up, his yellow eyes falling onto those lovely blues. “May I be graced with your name Paladin?”

Lance moved away from the wall, letting his body relax more once he noticed he wasn’t in danger anymore. He crossed his arms and gave a soft smile.

“The name’s Lance.” For some unknown reason, Lance felt like he could trust the man before him. He didn’t know if it was because of the situation he was in or if it was Lotor’s appearance. Either way, he was stuck and had no place to run, so he went with the flow. 

He just hoped he wasn’t making a mistake by being friendly with the enemy. He just hoped that flutter in his heart was just being nervous and not being taken by those good looks. 

****

TBC

****


	2. Messages

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The other Paladin's look for Lance.
> 
> Lance tries to escape, but things don't go as planned.
> 
> Lotor isn't having the best day, but it's not all bad.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Comments loved, the more I get, the faster I write.

“Guys, I need your help here.” The voice from the recording called out. “The Pirates are breaking the door down and I am wounded.”

Hunk listened to the last words he heard from Lance four days ago. The message sent to an empty command center during the middle of the night. Hunk clenched his fist, slamming it down on the command board. 

It wasn’t long before Hunk rested his elbows on the board and covered his face with his large hands. Shiro rested a hand on Hunk’s shoulders, trying to ease what guilt he had.

“Hunk, it’s not your fault Lance is in this mess…” The leader of the group wasn’t going to solely blame the younger man for this, Lance was also the guilty party. “We will find him and get him back.” 

“But I knew he was going out. He even asked if I wanted to come and I said no…” Hunk looked up, tears threatening to fall. He could not imagine his longtime friend hurt, or worse. “What if I was there, Lance wouldn’t have…”

Keith broke in Hunk’s “What if…” rant to calm his friend the best he could.

“Then you could have been captured just like Lance…” Keith crossed his arms, looking over his shoulder at the Princess who was looking for any sign of Lance. He gave a tired sigh, as he thought up a plan. “We could go where Lance went last and try to track his where abouts from there?”

Pidge nodded at that, typing away and the screen in front of her.

“Lance was last seen near the Black Market area…from what I can find…” Pidge looked rather concerned. “The previous messages he left behind gave us the idea of the location, but to where he is now…” Pidge brought her thumb up to her lips, biting it in worry.

Allura let her eyes wander the area, searching. No sign of signal from his suit. She gave a heavy sigh as she glanced over at Keith.

“Do you think Red could ask Blue again if she can feel Lance’s location?” Her worried eyes wavered at Keith’s violet ones. “Their connection should still be a beacon if Lance is in the area.”

Keith nodded, leaving the room to talk to the Lions. Shiro watched as he walked out, before looking at the Princess.

“We can find him Allura, don’t worry.” Shiro gave a soft smile. “After all, you guys found me.” Shiro let out a sigh, patting Hunk and letting him know things will be okay. “We’ll find him. We just have to have hope.”

Shiro didn’t believe his own words. What he knew about Pirates were never a good thing, space or not. 

Hunk stood up, looking lost. He held his hands together, thinking.

“I’m going to go join Coran and search for Lance down there….” Hunk let his brown eyes fall onto Shiro’s worried ones, who gave him a nod in agreement. “I’ll report what I see when we get there.”

Hunk left the room with a heavy heart. Lance’s words echoing in his head.

****

Lance sat on the bed, his knees pulled close and his long arms wrapped around him. Food placed by a bedside table, along with some strange drink. His blue eyes flashed around the room, as the door opened once again. 

He broke into a smile, as a little girl walked in with a large smile. Laughter escaped her lips as she jumped on the bed to join him.

“Hello Mister!” She crawled on the bed, sitting on it and looking at him. Her small frame giggled as she thrusted some kind of doll towards Lance. “I wanted to thank you for saving me, but Lotor said you needed to rest first.” 

Lance gave a tired grin, letting his hands grabbing the doll she presented to him. 

“Hello dear Princess.” Lance spoke kindly. The girl wasn’t scary looking at all, even if her father was someone to be feared. “I am glad that you are well. Thank you for coming to visit me.” He held the doll in his hands, leaving out a homesick sigh. “My name is Lance. May I ask yours?”

The Princess clapped her hands together, excited to have Lance asking her name. She jumped of the bed, leaving Lance to follow her movements as she pulled her dress up and curtsied. 

“I am Princess Rence. Youngest of Emperor Zarkon’s children.” Rence stood up, her catlike look being different like so many other Galra, save for the trademark yellow eyes and purple markings. “Are you well enough to walk around, Lance?”

Lance couldn’t help but smile as the girl sounded out his name. He did want to get out of the room he was in, but he was afraid to leave because he didn’t know the area he was in. If he was able to leave or not.

“I am, Princess Rence.” Lance stretched his legs out, showing his shoeless feet. “But maybe if I had some shoes, I’d be able to walk the halls freely with you?”

The Princess looked at Lance’s feet, a curious look on her face as she thought for a moment. 

“I shall ask Lotor for some shoes!” The little Princess cried, turning around to leave the room in a hurry. In her haste, she walked out the door, leaving it ajar. 

Lance saw that, as he quickly got up off the bed and made his way towards the door. He weeded his hand through the cracks, pulling the door slightly open, before peeking outside. He watched as the girl ran down the empty hallway, leaving his sight. 

He let out a breath he didn’t know he was holding, before opening the door wide enough for him to slip out. His warm feet walked silently on the cold ground. Each step he took, his heartbeat went faster. 

It wasn’t long, before Lance made it to an intersection, his watchful eyes looking up and down the hallway, before silently running across. He had no idea where he was going, but he knew he had to find a way to get out and leave. That or try to contact his team without being caught.

He was ready to make a run for it, when a hand grabbed his wrist and shoved him hard against the opposite wall. The shock and slam into the surface, made Lance’s already crazy world, spin again. He gritted his teeth, as he glanced behind him, seeing a very angry eyed Lotor pressing hard against him.

“Are you trying to get killed?” Lotor hissed, looking around the area, before pulling Lance away from the wall and dragging the man back with him to the room that Lance knew was a fancy prison cell. “Honestly, if people found out who you really are, you’d be dead and I would be dealing with a lot more problems than I care to handle…”

Lance narrowed his eyes, trying to pull his hand away from Lotor, but the man just held tighter, leaving Lance to winch in pain. Whatever fluttering he felt in his heart, was now replaced with anger. 

“Then let me go. If no one knows who I am…” Lance saw the door to his “prison”. He let his eyes drop. “Could I at least contact my friends? Let them know I am alive…”

The door slid open, leaving Lotor to throw Lance in, leaving the captive Paladin to stumble and catch himself. Lance turned around, his eyes shined in defence as Lotor spoke coolly to him.

“You can contact them in a few days.” Lotor let out a tired sigh, letting his shoulders drop. “But for now, I need you to be a considerate guest.” Lotor let it out more than a demand. “We will have acceptable attire for you tomorrow. Until then, please stay in this room for your own safety.”

Lance held his wrist, letting out a huff. A deep frown on his face as he glared up at the long haired Galra. Lotor was something else alright. What he wasn’t sure yet.

“I’m a guest huh?” Lance questioned. 

Lotor shot the Paladin an even deeper frown. He knew that tone of voice well. Lotor walked into the room, closing the door behind him. Lance’s heartbeat started to grow fast again, anticipating what Lotor might do. The man was strong, silent and quick, something Lance was no match for.

“You are a guest.” Lotor walked up, towering over Lance as he looked down at him, grabbing his arm and holding tight. “For if you were a prisoner, you wouldn’t be able to leave this place.” Lotor watched as fear swam in those blue eyes. “I want to return the favor of saving Princess Rence, by keeping you safe.” Lotor leaned in, whispering into Lance’s ear. “So please stop making this difficult for me.”

Lance swallowed hard. He could hear the fear lingering in Lotor’s voice. There was much more going on than Lance knew. Lotor’s closeness and the trembling grip on his arm, was proof of that. Lance looked away, wondering what trouble the man before him was getting into by sticking his neck out for him.

“It’s just because of the Princess that I am alive, isn’t it?” Lance asked, knowing full well that was the only reason.

“Partly.” Lotor pulled away, leaving Lance to stand alone and get some breathing space. “It was more than just saving the Princess.” Lotor made his way over to the door, ready to walk out. He turned, flashing Lance a soft, caring smile. “It was saving my dear, lovely sister.”

It was then it dawned on Lance. Lotor was no Knight protecting the Princess. No, nothing like that. It was an older brother, worried for the safety of his younger sister. It then dawned on Lance even more, as the man before him was a lot more complicated than Lance originally thought. 

“So...You're Zarkon’s son…” Lance let his words linger as Lotor pushed the door open in silence. Lance focused his eyes on the man before him. He looked tired, being born into a responsibility Lotor obviously didn’t want. 

“I am the first Prince of the Galra Empire.” Lotor walked out the door, heaviness in his yellow eyes. The Paladin gave him such a strange look, it was unsettling. “So as a guest, for now, please stay in this room.”

The door closed, leaving Lance alone in the room. He held his arm, where marks of Lotor’s claws dug into it and gave a disappointed sigh. He didn’t get as far as he hoped, but he got a lot more information then he had beforehand.

Lance walked to his bed and sat down. Zarkon was more than just feared by the Galaxies who knew his name, he was also feared by his inner family. 

A cold reality hit Lance hard. 

If his own family was that terrified of Zarkon, what as the monster's true beastly nature and how much power did Zarkon hold? 

Lance knew it didn’t take a rocket scientist to figure out why Lotor was so scared. He had a sibling to look out for and he was sure the man would do anything to keep her safe, even be a monster himself if it please the man he called father. Lance didn’t blame him, because he would have done the same thing.

Princess Rence was Zarkon’s trump card, keeping the first Prince in line. Lance now knew his place in the whole situation, he was being kept secret. His only saving grace was him keeping the Princess safe from Space Pirates. 

Lance was really in a pickle. He gave a chuckle, finally understanding the idioms his own father used to mutter under his breath when the shit hit the fan.

“Out of the frying pan and into the fire.” Lance laid down again, waiting for tomorrow to come. He had hoped then, the Prince Lotor would keep his word and he’d be able to contact his team. 

****

Lotor sat heavily in his oversized chair, an annoyed look on his face as he thought of what he should do to the Paladin. 

He knew what his father would do. Send him off to the Arena to his eventual death. Send him off to the Druids where they could cut him open alive and turn him into something else. Send him off to the brothels where that small body would be easily pulled apart. Either way, the Paladin wouldn’t have last long in any situation, save for the one Lotor had set up for him. 

Locked away, hidden from sight and out of mind.

That annoyed look faded away, as he heard laughter enter the room. Princess Rence ran up the the chair, climbing up and resting on Lotor’s lap. Her small frame leaned back, letting Lotor hold her a bit tighter than he intended. The action left her to let out a small squeak.

“Sorry, I’m just happy you are safe.” Lotor hummed, holding his little sister in his arms. The girl was the only in his life that he held dear, the only thing that kept him kind, the only thing that kept him from ending his own life. 

“It’s okay Lotor!” Rence small smile, fell to a frown. “I couldn’t find what I was looking for…”

Lotor blinked, wondering what it was the child wanted. 

“Oh? What is it?” Lotor amused the child by listening to her.

“Shoe’s that will fit my Blue Knight!” She lifted her own foot up, looking at the cute shoe she had on. “His feet are too short and not as big…”

Lotor laughed, causing Rence’s smile to return. She hadn’t heard her older brother laugh in months. 

“Don’t you worry Princess. The Blue Knight will have new attire tomorrow.” Lotor mused for a bit, as the girl started to play with his long, white hair. “But for now, it’s late and you need to sleep. Tomorrow is another day after all…”

The Princess crossed her arms, not wanting to go to bed so soon.

“Do I have too?” She pleaded.

Lotor moved the girl so he could carry her in his arms.

“Yes. You have too.” He stood up, flashing the girl a smile. “I’ll tell you are story, how does that sound?”

The girl was excited for that, as she let out a small yawn. The brother and sister left the room, their small talk nothing but laughter and dreams of happiness.

*****

TBC


	3. Flowers

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Lance gets new clothes
> 
> Lotor and Rence take him to the garden.
> 
> The Paladin's look for Lance

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Comments are loved and help me write faster.
> 
> Thank you and please enjoy.

Lance looked at himself in the mirror. The getup wasn’t that bad and it was easy on the eyes. The material was soft on his skin and it was breathable. The mixture of light blues and dark golds, clashed in such away it swayed with his body. The sleeves were see through and tapered at the wrists with gold cuffs. His pant, a tight fit, but easily moveable.

A knock on the door adverted Lance’s attention away from himself.

“Yes?” Lance smiled, it was out of habit from his old life. When having siblings of your own, you’d be used to answering to closed doors like it was nothing. 

The door slid open and Lotor walked in, a bright smile on his face as he saw Lance was dressed in his new clothing. He was pleased to see how well Galran clothing fit the human, bringing out a glow he had never seen before in the man.

“I take it, they are to your liking?” Lotor hummed, his own purple get up was just as flashy. His yellow eyes seemed to shine as he saw a soft smile on the Paladin’s face. “It is very flattering on you.”

Lance felt a slight blush cross his face but he quickly chased it away, remembering who Lotor was. He gave a deep sigh, before bowing his head to the man in thanks.

“Thank you for your hospitality. But if you don’t mind.” Lance raised his gaze up to meet the Prince. “May I contact my team?”

Lotor nodded, stepping away from the door and letting Lance walk right through it without any issue. Lotor quickly followed, taking his place right next to Lance. 

“We are in an area where I can drop you off safely. It’s not under Zarkon’s rule yet, nor is it dangerous.” Lotor could see the uneasiness in the Paladin’s movements. “You can rest at ease, I will not attack your team when they come to find you.”

Lance let his shoulder’s drop, looking at Lotor with a nervous smile. 

“Sorry, I’m just not used to being in a situation like this.” Lance waved his hands around, getting his point across for everything. 

Lotor noticed the man was trying small talk, trying to make things seem less abnormal.

“Well, I hope your short stay, will be the only situation that keeps you separated from your team again.” Lotor looked away, leaving Lance to do the same thing. 

This was extremely awkward.

It was only a small warmth in their hands, did it cause both men to look down between them. Lance broke into a smile, as did Lotor.

Princess Rence was between them, both her small hands clinging tight to their once drifting ones.

“Lotor! Lotor! Can I take Blue Knight to the gardens?” Rence giggled, giving a smile Lance recognized as one his younger siblings gave to him. That smile that would always convince him to grab cookies just out of their reach. “Would you like to see the gardens, Blue Knight?”

Lance let his eyes soften, not having the heart to tell the girl no, not when those yellow eyes were so bright and innocent. The cute nickname also won him over.

“If it is alright with the Prince, I would love to go see the garden’s with you Princess.” Lance shifted his gaze from Rence, to Lotor. His heart skipped a beat as he saw a look so caring and kind, he could not believe the man before him was related to the most feared being of the known Universes. “My team can wait for a little while longer.”

Lotor held his sister's hand, thinking over his options. He couldn’t leave Lance alone, he was still afraid he’d try to run away again and alert the wrong person of the Blue Paladin’s whereabouts.

“We can all go together. It has been while since I have taken a stroll down there myself as well.” Lotor watched as the girl lit up, letting go of both their hands and running down the hall. Her dress swaying with her movements. 

Lance let out a small laugh, watching as the girl waited down at the end of the hall, excitement on her face. Lotor let his eyes fall onto the man, the laugh was so carefree and real.

“The Princess get’s what she wants a lot, doesn't she?” Lance hummed, resting his hands on his hips as he looked over at Lotor. “She reminds me of my little sister. I guess we are not so different after all…”

Lotor’s long ears seemed to twitch at that confession. It wasn’t much, but it was something he could now relate to with the human.

“Oh, you have a younger sibling too?” Lotor was a little bit too eager in asking, but quickly let his excitement go. There would be no way the man would share something that private with him.

Lance saw that change, figuring this was his chance to win some allies within the inner circle of Zarkon. If that happened to be the man’s own children, so be it.

“Yeah, I have two younger siblings and two older siblings.” Lance smiled, happy to see that he finally made it to where Princess Rence waited patiently before running again down the hallway for their next turn. “The Princess is making me remember things I have been missing is all…”

Lotor could relate. There were many times when he had to go away, leaving his sister far from his sight. It was his last outing that lead to his sister being taken from her bed. If it wasn’t for the Blue Paladin, he probably wouldn’t have found her alive. 

“I thank you, for saving her.” Lotor let a smile go towards the girl who quickly turned around to run away again, playing some childish game. “I don’t know what I would have done if I lost her…”

Lance cracked a smile, thinking about how Lotor took out all those Space Pirates that tried taking the door down. 

“No thanks needed.” Lance was honest about that. “It’s what I’m supposed to do. The right thing.” He watched as Rence stopped at the door, rocking back and forth, waiting for the men to join her. “Even if I knew who she was then, I still would have saved her.”

Lotor stopped walking. Lance’s words struck him hard. The sudden action caused Lance to look confused and turn towards the purple man.

“Lotor?”

The Prince of the Galra Empire, brought his arms out, bringing the shocked Blue Paladin into a strong hug. Lance was stiff for a moment at that action, before relaxing and returning the hug. He let out a breath he didn’t know he was holding.

“Thank you…”

Princess Rence watched with her yellow eyes, a smile on her face as she saw something she hadn’t seen for a long time in her older brother.

True happiness on his face. 

All it took was for her Blue Knight to break the walls around his heart. 

****

Shiro walked into a vacant building, Princess Allura close beside him. He leaned on the walls, glancing around the corner. Allura looked around, her boe staff in hand.

Her earing started to flash, as Pidge’s voice spoke.

“Lance’s last know location was here.” 

Allura and Shiro locked eyes, making their way deeper into the building. As each step they got closer, the more damage and carnage they witness. 

Dead bodies were everywhere and they had been there for almost six days. They were sliced in half and ripped apart. Whatever had done that, was angry. 

Shiro swallowed hard, looking at Allura.

“We will not be sharing this with the team.” Shiro swallowed back vomit. “I don’t want them to worry anymore then they are now…”

Allura nodded, quickly making her way into the other room. She pressed her back up against the wall, looking around and seeing more dead bodies.

“I don’t think there’s anyone alive in here.” She let out a deep sigh, pulling away from the wall. She started walking around the room, alien blood turning green from age. She looked around, seeing a different color of blood. Deep, red and human. 

Shiro looked down at it, knowing what old human blood looked like, considering he had seen his own blood on the battle ground floor. He knew this wasn’t good at all. 

Allura made her way over to a room, seeing how the door was damaged and hacked away. She felt something dark grow inside her chest as she walked her way over to it. She let her hands pull back the door and throwing it across the room and into the wall. She walked in, quickly making her way towards a discarded Blue Helmet. 

Allura picked it up, her worried eyes looking down at a large red blood stain on the ground. Shiro walked in, looking around the room with a dry mouth. 

“There’s no body.” Shiro broke the silence. “ I am sure Lance is fine.” He gave a smile, it was a reassuring one. “Whoever did this in here...probably saved Lance.”

Allura knew he was being hopeful, but the pit in her stomach grew. As she played with the helmet, her face lit up. 

“The helmet has recorded history from six days ago.” She had joy on her face. “We might know where Lance is at with the video feed.” She looked at it with a frown on her face. “But the data is corrupt. I know if we take it back to the castleship, Pidge and Hunk might be able to fix it.”

Shiro rested a hand on her shoulder, causing Allura to look up at him.

“We’ll find him.” Shiro spoke them so kindly, Allura was able to relax a bit. “We will find him.”

****

Lance watched as Princess Rence picked the flowers in the garden. Lotor sat next to him, not sure what Lance was getting at when he had asked the little girl to pick about twenty-five flowers. 

“Is this some kind of Earth Game?” Lotor asked, watching as Lance leaned back onto the silver grass. The human was a strange creature.

“I’m going to make you two something…” Lance looked up at the artificial sky, the red color was almost creepy, but it also reminded him of the sunset back at home. He looked up and the Princess stood over him, looking down with a tired smile.

“I have the flowers!” The Princess held her dress out, where all the flowers stayed in place. She quickly took a spot next to Lance, watching as he pushed himself up and started grabbing the flowers.

Lotor leaned forward, watching as Lance played with the flowers and arranged them in a way that it was almost like magic. Something so common, being changed into something else, was a sight to see. 

Once Lance was done, there were two large rings made out of flowers. The Galra siblings blinked, not sure of what to make of the strange things. Lance lifted one up and placed it on top of Rence’s head. 

The little girl looked up, not sure what Lance was doing. Lotor cracked a smile, seeing how cute his sister looked with it on.

“A Flower Crown for a lovely little Princess.” Lance picked up the other flower crown and placed it on Lotor’s head, who was taken a bit back by the action. “And one for a handsome Prince.”

Lotor looked at Lance, watching at how kind he was. The human was something else alright. Someone so kind and caring, even to those who didn’t deserve that honor. 

Rence quickly grabbed Lotor’s hand, pulling him away from Lance and taking him to a reflective fountain. The two siblings gazed down, watching as the Flower Crown framed their face’s, bringing out a different kind of beauty, a different kind of happiness.

Lotor gave a sad smile, thinking back to Lance calling him a handsome prince. For a moment he wondered if Lance would still think he was handsome, if he saw what Lotor really looked like.

Lotor turned his attention away from himself and his sister to look back over at the Blue Paladin. He flashed him a smile and gave him a slight nod. 

Lotor knew this wasn’t going to be forever but for the moment he could enjoy this happiness. Enjoy what little time he had to feel something again, to feel joy. 

Rence clung onto Lotor’s arm, bringing her brother to look down with a kind smile.

“The Blue Knight made my wish come true…” She smiled, humming. Lotor remained silent, letting her continue. “He made you truly smile again.”

Lotor took a moment to take her words in, nodding before looking back at the man who returned to lay in the silver grass. His yellow eyes looked up at the fake red sky.

“You are right.” He confessed, breaking into a smile. He rested a hand on his heart, feeling something he hadn’t felt before linger inside. “It’s nice...it’s warm.”

He looked away from Lance. He didn’t want that feeling because he knew if he let it grow, he’d never let him go. 

Lotor couldn’t have what he wanted, he knew that, but it didn’t stop him from dreaming.

Dreaming, Lotor laughed. He hadn’t dreamed in a long time either. He let out a sigh, as the Princess dragged him away, once again to the man that was changing everything. 

Lotor knew it was dangerous but he could be able to handle it for a little while. For a little while be could pretend. 

Pretend to not be a monster.

****

TBC

****


	4. Monster

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Hunk and Pidge try to watch the video from Lance's helmet, but get nothing.
> 
> Lance sends out a message.
> 
> Something is wrong with Lotor.
> 
> Someone is after Rence.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Comments are loved, thank you!

Pidge let out a scream of anger, Hunk leaned back in his chair half tempting to toss the helmet at the wall and see if that would work.

Coran walked up, tapping away at the feed the two human’s worked all night to get.

“There’s no sound and the video feed freezes.” Hunk crossed his arms, letting out a huff. Pidge got up, using her fingers to try to work out the bugs with the computer code.

“We’ve been working on this for hours.” She held her hands to her head, ruffling her hair. “I don’t know what else we can do…”

Coran gave a soft smile, looking at the two.

“I know what you two can do!” Coran watched as Hunk and Pidge both lit up. “You can both go get something to eat and some rest.” He made it more of a command and not an option. “I can take it from here.”

Both the Paladin’s lowered their heads, knowing Coran was right. Pidge looked up, hope in her eyes.

“Come get us, if you get anything…” Pidge watched as Coran nodded, putting her somewhat at ease. She pushed Hunk along, knowing the man wouldn’t leave on his own. “Let’s go, I’m hungry.”

Hunk sighed, too tired to fight.

Coran watched, waiting for them to leave before he started to tinker away at the camera feed from Lance’s helmet.

The old man’s eyes were filled with worry and fear. The images on the screen, were blurry and distorted. He moved his hands along, letting the images go back into focus. He gave a smile, proud at what the kids were able to do with Altean technology.

He pulled, getting the image of one of the beings in the room. It was male, tall and standing at the doorway, a mask covering his face. Coran froze when he saw that figure. It was a body type he was all too familiar with. 

An image of a young looking Zarkon flashed in his mind. Bright eyed and kind.

Coran narrowed his eyes, swallowing hard. He once again started on the video feed, taking the still images and cleaning them. He focused on the being, this time who was maskless. 

A chill ran down Coran’s spine. 

The face he saw was that of a Galra he once knew. That look he once admired, Coran now feared.

An fear started to bloom deep in Coran’s chest.

Zarkon has a son and Lance was in his hands.

*****

Lance walked around the ship halls, what he assumed was morning. 

He gave a happy sigh, glad to get out of his room with free will and not having someone to watch him as he walked around. The people he did see, were both Galra and some other different types of alien, what, Lance did not know. 

What he did know, was that the people were healthy, happy and kind. Lance couldn’t help but wonder if the people here were slaves or servants. Part of Lance hoped they were just paid employees but he knew better than that.

His attention was pulled away when he spotted Lotor. Lance quickened his pace, making his way to the Prince who looked tired and stressed from whatever meeting it looked like he came from.

“Prince Lotor…” Lance wanted to be respectful. He watched as Lotor turned towards him, his yellow eyes a bit darker than yesterday. “May I have a word with you.”

Lotor nodded, taking one last glance in the room he was in last, before closing the door and locking it. He motioned Lance to come follow him.

“I take it, you want to leave a message to your team?” Lotor didn’t walk far, before making it to another door and letting it slide open. He nodded his head towards Lance, pointing into the room. “You can contact your team here. We are in an area where they won’t be able to track this ship. Please inform them I will leave you on the Planet Xul, in the Adnega Galaxy System in three days.” 

Lance could see that Lotor was distant and a bit more colder than yesterday. He couldn’t help but rest a hand on the Prince’s shoulder and give him a concerned looked. 

“Is everything well?” Lance asked, only to winch in pain as Lotor grabbed his wrist in anger and pulling it down and bringing Lance close.

“Don’t confuse my actions as kindness Paladin.” Lotor looked down at the man, seeing fear and confusion swim in those man’s eyes. “And don’t waist your worry on me.”

Lotor let him go, leaving Lance to swallow his confusion in silence. The Prince pushed Lance in, leaving the Blue Paladin to wonder what had set off the man. He was vastly different from yesterday.

Lotor walked in to join Lance, picking away at the screen before them. The video feed lit up, leaving Lance to winch from the bright light. Lotor turned around and looked at Lance with cold, yellow eyes.

“You can place your ships code in the box there to send the message. There will be a three hour delay, as I do not want anything traced back to this ship.” Lotor said it like a Prince in command. “I will leave you. Once you are done, you are free to roam in these quarters. You can command one of the servant to bring you food when you are hungry.”

Lotor made his way towards the door, but stopped when Lance called out.

“Prince Lotor!” Lance watched as that man seemed to glare at him. He gave a soft smile, letting Lotor know that he was grateful. “Thank you. For everything.”

Lotor seemed to relax, nodding at that and leaving out the door. Lance was alone, running a hand through his hair. Today was going to be a long day.

He walked up to the screen, the glow lighting up his face as he put in the ship's numbers that he had memorised. He waited for a bit, before pushing the video feed and hit the record button.

He took a deep breath, giving a smile that was true, so in hopes to calm his friends.

“Hey Guys! What’s up! “Surprise, Surprise, I’m alive!” Lance waved his hands around, to show that he was okay. “I know you guys are probably mad at me, but honestly, I’m fine. The people who saved me are really good.” He let his body relax, just looking at himself in the recording. “This video will be delayed and I will explain why later when we see each other again. I’ll be at a Planet called Xul, in the Adnega Galaxy System in three days.” Lance gave a huge grin, waving goodbye to whoever watched the video. “So see you then and please don’t worry! Bye Bye!” 

Lance looked around, hitting the button to stop the recording and hitting send. He watched as that message shot back words in Galra, leaving Lance to sigh and shrug at it. He gave a tired sigh, as he made his way out of the room. 

He looked down the hall, seeing how empty it was again. The servants must have been somewhere else in the ship, just currently not around him. He found it strange and unsettling. It wasn’t that long ago there were people almost everywhere and now.

Nothing.

Lance swallowed hard, looking at his wrist, where Lotor had grabbed him. It still hurt, but he could manage. 

Lance let his eyes fall onto the door Lotor had walked out of before, wondering what was behind it. Lotor did give him free range of the area, so he didn’t think it would hurt. He glanced around the hallway, feeling like he was sneaking again. 

He made his way over to the door and pushed on it. Lance let out a laugh. 

“Of course its locked.” Lance let out a sigh. It was in that moment, Lance jumped a mile high when a hand grabbed his. He looked down, giving a small smile when he saw who it was. “Princess, you scared me…”

Princess Rence held tight to Lance’s hand, looking somewhat scared herself. That looked worried Lance to no end.

“I can’t find my Rham-rham after she told me to run....” She quickly clung onto Lance’s leg, looking around the area with worry on her face. “Nor the maids or my friends…”

Lance kneeled down, looking the girl in the eyes trying to fight his fear for a moment. He gave her a smile, as she brought her hands up to her face.

“Well then, let’s go find your brother? He might know what’s going on?” Lance picked the child up. Something in the back of his mind was telling him something was wrong. “How about we make it back to my room and we could wait for him?”

Lance held the girl tight in his arms, ready to walk again, but stopped. He could hear footsteps. They were heavy and fit nothing like the aliens he had saw earlier. Lance quickly walked the otherway, quietly making his way to an intersection so he could hide behind him. 

Princess Rence could feel Lance’s heartbeat feel raised. She clung to his neck and whispered in his ear.

“What’s going on?” She asked with fear starting to raise in her voice. “I want my brother.”

Lance brought his hand up around her neck trying to calm her. He moved away from the wall and away from the growing heavy foot steps.

“Don’t worry. We’ll find him.” Lance quickly made his way down the hall, towards the gardens. “But first, let's play a game! Back home, we played something called “Hide and Seek.””

Rence nodded, listening to Lance’s game.

“We can both hide in the garden and wait for your brother there…” Lance turned down the path he once walked down, only to stop for a moment. Before him, his eyes fell on a bloodied body before him. He froze, not sure what to do next. 

He could hear the footsteps, this time it was searching. Lance gave a shaky breath, before pushing forward. 

“I’m going to need to you close your eyes and only open them when I tell you, okay?” Lance gave a soft command. Watching as the girl shut them tight. Lance quickly started walking again. He walked over the dead body, whose chest cavity was ripped about. Lance was careful not to step on the blood, the less people knew he was there, the better. “Keep them closed…”

Lance was shaking. He was in something deep and he had a feeling it had to do with the Princess. Lance wasn’t an idiot. Someone like Rence’s status probably left the girl open to all kinds of horrible people. 

He focused on one thing, keeping the girl in his arms safe. He swallowed hard, as he made it to a door that lead to the garden. With joy in his heart, he walked in and the door opened. He quickly got in and shut the door behind him, looking around for a way to lock the door from inside. 

“Okay, you can open your eyes now.” Lance looked around the room, making sure it was safe, he placed her down on the ground and the Princess seemed in good spirits. Lance looked at the door panel, wondering what he could do in that moment. “Princess, do you think you can lock this door for me?”

Rence walked up and placed her hand on the panel, the green turned purple and words appeared in Galra. Lance smiled, hoping it meant locked. He let out a worried sigh, as he grabbed her hand and started walking around for a good spot to hide.

“Blue Knight?” Rence asked, her small hand gripping tight. “Are the bad people here for me again?” 

Lance flashed a smile down at her, trying to calm her.

“Don’t you worry, Dear Princess.” He scanned the area again, finding something that was small enough for the Princess to hide in. “Your Knight will protect you.”

Lance quickly dragged the girl with him, to the wooden looking area of the garden. With a quick movement, he lifted her up and placed her inside a hollowed hole inside of a tree. The Princess looked out, her eyes glowing in the darkness of her hiding spot. 

“Please don’t leave me.” She almost mewed, she reached out, only for Lance to grab them and place a soft kiss on her fingers.

“I don’t plan to Princess but I can not be near you.” He looked saw the fear in her face. “Keep your eyes closed, stay silent and don’t move.”

Lance pulled away, once the girl nodded. He quickly distanced himself away from the area and started looking for something that could be used as a weapon. 

With his searching, he had hoped to find something more than large sticks and rocks, but that’s all he got. Lance gave out an angry sigh as he silently wished he had his Bayard on him at that moment. 

His musing was short lived, when the only door of the room got blown off and away from the wall. Lance quickly ran to the water fountain and laid on the ground, hiding his body from sight. He glanced up, seeing two aliens who looked somewhat familiar.

“Space Pirates…” He hissed, letting his blue eyes target their weapons they held in their hands. The taller one had a mean looking sword. The smaller one had the gun Lance so desperately wanted. He needed to think up of a plan and fast.

“Where are you! YOU little NENIL!” The larger one yelled, causing Lance to press his body tighter to the ground. “We have the Prince, so if you don’t want him hurt Princess, come out.” 

Lance hoped to his god, that was a lie. Lotor didn’t seem like the type to go down easy, more so when the man was like a ninja in the hallways. Lance started to crawl when he heard the taller alien walking towards the fountain. The smaller alien, the one with the gun, walked forward, looking elsewhere. Lance held a smirk, when the gun was moved to the aliens back. 

He had hoped this would be like stealing candy from a baby.

“You think she’s in here?” The smaller one moved the weeds around, looking underthings and ignoring his surroundings. “And let’s not take her alive this time. A dead body is easier to handle with…”

Lance remained crouched down, as he slinked his way over to the smaller Space Pirate. With a stick in hand, he came up behind him and caught him underneath his throat, pulling hard with the stick to cut off his air supply. 

Lance turned around, strangling the man in his arms, while watching the other idiot walk around, oblivious to his friend's predicament. Lance gritted his teeth, as claws dug deep into his arms. Scratching and pulling, but to no avail. It wasn’t long before the body started to grow limp and Lance’s arms. He quickly laid the alien down, resting him on to the ground. 

He gave a smirk as he grabbed for the gun and pulled it away. He brought it up to his face and looked around at it. It was a gun, with alien design, he just hoped it would work with him. He gave one last look at the alien knocked out on the ground, before bringing the pistol down on his head.

It was better to be safe than sorry. With a heavy sigh, he stood up and announced his presence, drawing the taller man towards him. 

“Sorry man, but the Princess is in the wrong Castle.” He gave a smirk, seeing how the swordsman gave a scary look. “How about you try your luck with me?”

The Swordsman roared, charging after Lance with blades in hand. Lance quickly narrowed his eyes, firing the gun off. Lance stood back, fear in his eyes as the sword deflect the lasers away, leaving the charging alien right for him. 

In that moment, Lance watched as the blades came swinging down. He ran forward, rolling right underneath the alien’s legs and firing. The Laser hit it’s mark, bringing the man down from the shot to his spine. 

Lance gave a smirk, but it was short lived. A clawed leg came out of nowhere, catching Lance off guard. He was barely able to block, before it sent him flying and sliding on the silver grass.

The gun he once had, was shattered to pieces. 

Lance looked up, seeing what had knocked him for a loop. Lance froze. 

It was a Yupper and an angry looking one at that. Lance had seen how they ripped machines apart, it didn’t take one to imagine what would happen to those who were living.

The alien Lance shot, pushed himself up, screaming in pain.

“KoJax!” He yelled. “Rip him to pieces.”

Lance quickly pushed himself up and started running, the moment he heard that “Yup” sound, he knew he was fucked. Lance ran, quickly moving behind the fountain, where the Yupper quickly jumped into and destroyed. The impact and rush of water, pushed Lance back, causing him to lose balance and fall to the ground.

He went to get up, only for a large paw to press down on his chest, drawing blood. Lance let out a painful cry as the beast moved his jaws closer to his face.

A blood curtling scream escaped the Yupper, as a stick was jammed hard into its left eye, giving Lance a moment to see what was going on. His blue eyes widened as he saw Princess Rence walking back in fear as the Yupper focused its attention onto her.

Lance quickly pushed himself up, jumping and tackling the girl to the ground as a large clawed paw came swinging towards her. Lance let out a hiss when those claws dug deep into his left arm. 

Once they stopped rolling, did Lance get up and started running with the girl under his arm. He stopped short, when the beast jumped in front of them, blocking their path. Lance placed the girl down, pushing her behind him as the Yupper was ready to attack. 

“Lance…” The little girl clung to his torn leg pants. She was shaking.

“When that thing get’s on top of me, I want you to leave out that door...find your brother.” Lance was ready for the attack. “Don’t you dare look back.”

In a flash, the beast jumped and Lance stood tall. For a moment, he saw nothing but the beast. Then he saw a familiar looking cape and white flowing hair appear in front of him. Lance quickly turned around and covered Rence’s body with his own, as the beast was torn in two.

For a moment, Lance glanced up, his eyes on the back of the man who rescued them. His eyes froze in fear, as his heart seemed to stop.

The man had Lotor’s clothing, but his size, his face, his over-all look, was that of Zarkon, save for the small tuft of white hair that sprouted out from the back. Those yellow eyes were almost familiar. It would have been calming for Lance if he wasn’t terrified.

The new alien looked down in his giant form, his hands reaching down as he spoke in a deep voice. 

“Rence, are you alright?” The man smiled as he saw her head peek out from Lance’s arms and a smile on her face. She quickly left Lance’s side, before running into the man’s arms.

“Lotor! I knew you would come for me!” Princess Rence cried, hugging tight onto the man’s neck. Lotor lifted her up high, as she glanced down at Lance. “Blue Knight protected me again.”

Lance looked up, uneasiness on his face. He didn’t know what to say in a situation like this. The Lotor he knew was purple skinned, long white haired and smaller looking. This Lotor was huge. His jaw more jagged, his face a bit more hard, more Zarkon.

But those eyes. Those eyes were Lotor’s, Lance could see that much. No two eyes, held the same silent pain.

Lotor, in his other form, reached down his large hand. Lance was hesitant at first, before reaching for it, letting the other being pull him up.

“Are you alright?” Lotor asked, seeing the damage Lance had suffered. It then dawned on Lotor that Lance was uneasy around him and quickly started to change back to something more familiar with the human. “I am sorry, but it seems you were caught up in my mess again…”

Lance held onto his bleeding arm, seeing how worried the two siblings looked.

“I’m fine, but can we leave before more Space Pirates show up?” Lance wanted to be back in his room. Away from it all. His mind was still to worked up to even understand what was going on.

Lotor seemed to smile at Lance’s words.

“Other than those two, there are no more to worry about. I’ve already dealt with them.” Lotor held tight to his sister. “Come Lance, I will walk you to your chambers and bring medical supplies.”

Lance nodded at that, letting Lotor make the first move to leave the trashed gardens. Lance followed, giving the sibling’s space and giving himself some space. He would look up and flash a smile at Rence, but it would vanish the moment she would look away.

Lance was in something deep alright and he had hoped there wouldn’t be any more adventures like this one.

*****

Lance flinched in pain. The adrenaline died away, leaving nothing but all his actions coming back up and biting him, hard. 

Lance looked at himself in the mirror, not liking what marks he saw. He knew he’d be bruised and beat up by the time his teammates found him. He gave a defeated sigh, knowing they would probably jump to conclusions. 

He have a heavy sigh when he heard a nock. 

“It’s open.” Lance called out. As the door opened, he watched from the mirror to see Lotor, in the form he originally knew him in. His long hair was braided and thrown over his left shoulder. Lance looked away, memories flashing of a monster of a man ripping a Yupper apart. He let out a sigh, thinking that the beauty was the beast. “How’s Princess Rence? Is she safe? She’s not hurt is she?”

Lotor was happy to hear Lance was concerned about her. Lotor carried in the the medical supplies and placing them on a table.

“She’s safe.” Lotor turned his back to Lance, placing the items and getting ready to patch up the wounded man. “I thank you again.”

Lance looked at Lotor’s back, seeing something he hadn’t seen before on the man. It was dark, old and nasty. Lotor’s long hair had it covered before. Lance turned around, concern in his voice. 

“Are you okay?” Lance walked up, careful to pull back the cuff on Lotor’s neck. It was a nasty scar that looked like it went on forever. Lotor quickly pulled away, slapping the man’s hand away with a rather sharp sting. Lance held it, knowing he probably deserved that. “I’m sorry. I shouldn’t have. I thought you had gotten hurt.”

Lotor pulled his hand back and over his neck, anger flashing in those eyes. The Prince glanced over at Lance, who looked rather nervous. He could see that Lance was worried more than just Lotor’s wounds, but what Lotor was. He let his eyes travel Lance’s body, seeing the wounds that marked his near flawless body.

The Man’s left arm, needed mending. His chest, sliced in five spots from where the claws dug in. His old wound on his abdomen was nearly healed and not damaged by the recent battle. He could only imagine what the man’s legs looked like, considering his pants didn’t fair any better.

“No, I should be the one to apologize.” Lotor looked away, grabbing ointment that would heal the deep wounds and mend things with ease with little scarring. He mixed it with water in a basion and grabbed a rag. “ And I should be the one asking if you are okay. You took more of a beating.”

Lance cracked a smile, trying to pull off some bravado action, only for him to regret it and hold his ribs, the action caused his wounds to bleed. He soon fell into a small laugh, causing Lotor to frown at that action.

“I’m fine.” Lance proclaimed. “I’ve been hurt worse than this.”

He waved it off as if it was nothing. Lotor didn’t like that action at all. He reached his hands in the basion and started cleaning away at Lance’s chest. Lance watched as Lotor was careful, taking care of the raw areas. With awe, he watched as the wound started to close up, healing and crusting over to a scab. 

“So, dear Blue Paladin.” Lotor chided. “Do tell, what is worse than this?”

Lance’s breath hitched at that, causing Lotor to wonder if it was something personal. He gave a little laugh, seeing that Lotor regretted those words he spoke. 

“It’s nothing bad, if that’s what you're thinking.” Lance looked up at Lotor, who moved away to soak the rag again and work on the other wounds, listening as Lance continued. “It’s kinda funny really. I got blown up by a Galra.”

Lotor seemed not to be amused by that has he worked on another wound on Lance’s chest. His braided hair moving with him in his anger.

“There’s nothing funny in almost getting killed.” Lotor almost pouted, but stopped. He did share a small smile when he was done with another wound. “You humans are strange beings.”

Lance adjusted his shoulders humming as Lotor started working on a third wound.

“Well now, since I told you something about me. You have to share something about yourself.” Lance watched as Lotor gave a deep frown, not liking that idea. He was quick to counter. “I think I need to know a little bit about you, considering I did save Rence twice.”

Lance smiled, he got Lotor there. He knew that because when Lotor was on the fourth wound, he pressed a little harder. That pressure caused Lance to hiss, but he didn’t mind it.

“Fine.” Lotor forced out, getting ready to work on the last wound on his chest.” What do you want to know?”

“Your other form.”

Lotor stopped, resting a hand over Lance’s beating heart. It was quick and fast question. Lotor knew Lance might have asked, but he had hoped it would have been about the old scar on his neck, then what he looked like. 

“It’s what I really look like.” Lotor couldn’t look at Lance as he spoke that fact. “I choose this form because it’s more...desirable…”

Lotor turned away, happy to see the fifth wound was healing well. Next was Lance’s arm. Because it was deeper, Lotor turned back to the basion and added another ointment. He needed to turn away, he didn’t want Lance to look at him the way he was now.

Lance could see that Lotor didn’t like talking about it, but he pressed on.

“You know, your true form isn’t that bad looking.” Lance looked away, leaving Lotor to turn in shock with a slacked jaw. “So if you want, you can be true around me.”

Lotor fumbled with ointment, flustered by Lance’s words. He controlled himself, cracking a dark smile, like he couldn’t believe the words Lance was saying. Lotor laughed as he mixed the liquid. 

“You must be joking.” Lotor let his loose hair cover his face. “No one would want to see that monstrous form.”

Lance knew an empty laugh when he heard one. He kept his cool when Lotor pulled at his left arm, dabbing it with care. Lance knew Lotor could easily pull his arm off, but he didn’t. 

“You are not a monster Lotor…” Lance said it so true, it caused anger to flair in those yellow eyes. The grip on his arm tightened. “If you were, I wouldn’t be alive right now and your sister wouldn’t be alive.”

Whatever Lance said in that moment, seemed to cause a raw rage to build up in Lotor. The Prince of the Galra empire pushed him backwards, hard into the nearest wall and lifted him up. Lance winched in pain, but he wasn’t scared. 

He saw that look. It was a look of someone on the edge, ready to break. Someone who had so much shit going on, they didn’t have time to process it. Lance reached his hand up, trying to gain whatever leverage he could get while Lotor yelled at him.

“I am a monster!” Lotor seemed to growl. “It’s in my blood. It’s what I was born to be!” His wide yellow eyes started to sting. Lance looked down, his eyes softening at that. It pissed off Lotor even more. “Stop that!”

“You’re not your father.” Lance felt that pressure go away that held him up. The sudden motion, caused Lance to hit the ground hard. He pushed himself up, looking at Lotor.

The man was balled up tight, his hands covering his head. Teardrops danced on the floor underneath him.

Lance crawled over to Lotor, resting a hand on the Prince’s head. He spoke low and carrying, resting on his knees.

“You don’t have to pretend with me.” Lance was taken by surprise when strong arms reached out, wrapping around his torso and pulling him in. Lance relaxed, resting his hands on Lotor’s shaking shoulders.

Lance watched, as that white hair shortened. He watched as that body changed shape and color. He watched as those thin arms grew thick. He felt the change in weight, but didn’t complain. He listened as Lotor’s voice deepened with those sobs that seemed to flow freely. 

He rested his hand on Lotor’s head, doing his best to sooth him. Lotor looked up, tears in his true form’s eyes. Lance smiled seeing that his eyes didn’t change. That part was all Lotor.

“You're no monster.” Lance wiped away the tears. “Monster’s don’t cry.”

Lance flashed a genuine smile, causing Lotor to close his eyes and just rest in Lance’s lap. It was that small warmth that caused Lotor to break, to crash and for his tired body to rest. 

A lifetime of worry and pain finally seemed to leave him and all faded away into the night.

His last thought, before being lost to slumber, was how the Blue Knight did more than just save his little sister. 

Lance saved him too.

*****

TBC

****


	5. Love

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Lance is confused because he has no idea how a crush grew to love in a few days
> 
> Lotor is confused by Lance's feelings until he is not

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Comments LOVED.

Lance sat in a deep bath tub, one that could match that of a hot tub back at home. He relaxed his body in the heated water and closed his eyes. 

It had been a long two days since his last brush with death. Two days since Lotor broke down. One day ago since he watched Lotor interrogate the Space Pirates and found out who had sent them. One day since Lotor lashed out in anger at the one who dared whispered his mother's name. One day since Lance saw that head roll. 

Two days and he had yet to recover from the mental turmoil he himself went under. Two days ago it was just a crush and now he didn’t know what it was anymore. 

Because yesterday he knew he fell in love with a Prince who had blood on his hands.

Because yesterday he saw a being much like himself, forced into a role he didn’t want to be in. He saw a Galra who would do anything to protect those that he held dear. He saw a man, whom was more than his father’s blood.

He was confused. He was supposed to be the enemy, not a love interest. 

He slid down the tub, letting the water take him under. His eyes closed tight, making everything black. The sound of his own heartbeat. 

It was in this moment he was at home.

Any moment now he’d open his eyes and he’d be home. He’d break the surface and smell garlic knots. He’d hear distant voices of his loved ones in his head. He didn’t want it to end, he didn’t want to surface. 

But he needed air. He needed to breath.

He let out a sob letting his cries bubble up to the surface before himself. 

It wasn’t long before he shot up, gasping for air. He found it funny he still felt like he was drowning and he didn’t know why.

Lance looked down at the water below him. His blue eyes wavered as he noticed he wasn’t alone in the room. He didn’t turn his his head but focused his eyes on the intruder he didn’t know was there.

“Lotor?” Lance blinked, confused for a moment at where he was at. “What are you doing here?”

Lotor was in his smaller form as he walked in with concern in his eyes. He looked at Lance with a softness in his voice.

“I heard you scream…” Lotor walked closer to the tub. “I was worried.”

Lance didn’t remember screaming, then again for a moment he thought he was back at home. He cracked a smile towards Lotor, letting his dark thoughts fade away. He didn’t need his own issues to surface, not now. 

“Sorry, I was just being frustrated.” Lance leaned back into the tub, his eyes looking up at the metallic ceiling. He couldn’t look at Lotor in that moment, he’d lose it otherwise. “Was thinking of home is all…”

Lotor saw a distance in the man’s eyes he never saw before. He had seen fear, anger, joy, sadness, happiness, but not this. This was something else, something that scared him. He had seen that look once before in his mother’s eyes. It scared him.

“Lance…” Lotor walked away from the door and to Lance’s side. He placed a hand on the man’s wet face, turning it towards him. Lotor watched as Lance’s dull eyes seemed to come back to its normal shine, as if he was hiding away his own pain. “What’s wrong?”

Lance quickly blinked, seeing how close Lotor was to him. The look Lotor gave was that of worry and all Lance wanted to do was kiss it. He was fighting a blush and failing at it. He brought his hands up, pulling Lotor’s hand away and letting out a shrill voice. 

“Dude, I’m naked!” Lance pulled his legs up, splashing water everywhere. It soaked Lotor’s clothing, leaving the man to look just as annoyed as Lance was. “And nothing’s wrong. I’m just tired…”

Lotor pulled at his wet dress shirt, feeling the wet warmth seep in. He gave up from staying dry as he felt his pants soak in the water that spilled over the tub. With a sigh, he stood up, leaving Lance to watch the man as he pulled off his shirt. 

“I’ve seen you naked before.” Lotor mumbled. “I’m not sure why you are acting so shy now.”

Lance quickly flowered his glowing face into the water, blowing bubbles. Someone did have to undress him from his Paladin armor. It just had to be Lotor.

Lance let his blue eyes glance over at Lotor’s back, his eyes tracing the almost scared free surface. He peeked his head out of the water, seeing that nasty scar Lotor had hid from him before. It looked jagged and painful. 

“How did you get that scar?” Lance asked, finally out of the depressed state he was in. That question seemed to take Lotor by surprise. He watched as the man covered his neck with one hand before glancing away.

“It’s a gift my father gave me…” Lotor whispered. He had gotten so comfortable with Lance that he forgot about his constant reminder. The splashing water captured Lotor’s attention, bringing out his own deep blush seeing an angry looking Lance, in all his naked glory. 

“Like hell that is a gift!” Lance was pissed to even hear that. “That’s abuse!”

Lotor cracked a smile, trying to calm the man.

“No, it’s a gift because he allowed me to live…” With yellow eyes he watched as Lance walked out, grabbing a towel and wrapping it around his waist before marching his way over to the Galran Prince. “He allowed me to have Rence…” 

“That’s not a gift Lotor.” Lance watched as Lotor gave him a puzzled look. Lance knew it was going to be another one of “those” talks. The talks weren’t about Lotor being stupid, but skeptic on people showing more than just kindness in their intent. “A gift is something that someone gives in love, not with hate.”

Lotor lowered his head, his white hair dancing on his purple body. A dark smile graced his face, leaving Lance not to falter under that gaze. It was a normal thing to see now from the Prince. It wasn’t a look of hatred, no, it was a look of disdain. He would listen to Lance but years of how he was raised, would still shape Lotor for years to come.

“Tell me, what is a gift of love?” Lotor had an idea what love was. He cared for his sister. Wanted her happy. He even killed for her. He wanted his father’s attention and was given that mark of awareness on his neck. He wanted his mother’s lullaby, instead of her trying to kill his sister. “Is there more than one kind of love?”

Lance smiled, feeling brave enough to run his hands through Lotor’s hair, brushing it away from his face. He brought Lotor in close, letting his head rest on his own. His eyes locking onto Lotor’s confused yellow ones.

He moved in, placing a soft kiss on Lotor’s lips.

Lotor pulled back, leaving Lance to grasp empty air in his hands. The Galra stepped back, holding a hand to his lips. He was taken back by that reaction, shock still in his eyes by the warmth that lingered there.

Lance let his hands drop to his side, he turned his head away, feeling like he had messed something up.

“I’m sorry…” Lance clenched his fist. “I shouldn’t have.”

Lotor clenched his shirt, shoving it back on and leaving room in haste. Lance watched as that door slide shut. Lance kneeled down, covering his own lips. Tears starting to sting at his blue eyes. 

His mind was going a mile a minute. He didn’t know why he kissed Lotor, when he could have told him what a gift of love was. He closed his eyes, this time tears falling. 

He had no water to hide behind. 

He felt like he couldn’t breath.

*****

Keith watched the video Lance sent out for the uptheenth time. A gave a frustrated sigh, watching the video again. His attention was dragged away when Princes Allura walked in.

“You know, watching the video over and over again will not make the day come faster.”Allura put promptly. “We will be there tomorrow.”

Keith rolled his eyes, crossing his arms at the woman.

“Do you know how many things can go wrong in three days?” Keith looked at the video again, seeing that smiling face like Lance was on some vacation. He watched as Allura cracked a smile.

“Admit it, you miss him.” Allure raised an eyebrow at the Red Paladin, who gave her a deep frown. Allura was getting tired of Keith’s sour attitude. “He looks in good health. Coran already said the planet we were headed to was safe.”

Keith piped up, his voice cracking.

“But Coran also said that the people who took him were Galra.” Keith looked down at the ground, shoving his hands in his pockets. “There are good Galra but they are few and far in between.”

Allura looked concerned for the man before her. She walked up, resting a hand on his shoulder, something that seemed to put Keith at ease.

“Let’s have faith in Lance’s message.” Allura let her eyes shine. “And maybe they are good Galra. After all there are the Blades of Memora...and there is you…”

Keith reached his head up to meet the gaze of the Princess. There was more to his initial worry than before.

“I just don’t want to lose...anymore family is all…” Keith didn’t know what else to say to that, but Allura knew what to do. She gave him a caring smile and pulled him into a strong hug. For a moment Keith feared she’d break him, but she didn’t. He let his body relax, returning the hug and letting the moment go. He took a deep breath and smiled. “Thank you.”

****

Princess Rence looked up from holding her brother’s hand. He looked distant and lost. It brought fear to her heart because she had seen that look in Lotor’s mother when she was on ship. The woman who would rather have her dead, then share the same blood as her son. 

She clenched tight, trying to bring his attention towards her, but he was still silent. Rence had hoped she would find her Blue Knight. The man always seemed to bring about joy in her brother, like Lance was some magic that Lotor needed in his life. 

She gave a frustrated noise, before calling out.

“Lotor!” Her demanding seemed to cause Lotor to snap out of it and look at her. “Why are you so distant brother?”

Lotor looked down at the little girl, seeing she was angered by being ignored. He knew he needed to deal with his own issues later.

“How can I help you?” Lotor said it a bit short. He watched as the Princess started to fluff in anger, he didn’t even listen to her.

“I asked you why were you so distant!” Rence stomped her foot, her dress ruffling. “And why isn’t Blue Knight here?”

Lotor looked away, covering his lips with his free hand. Lance’s action still lingered on his lips, drawing more confusion from him then he’d like.

“I’m distant because the Blue Knight locked lips with me…” Lotor didn’t know how else to phrase it. He turned his gaze back to the girl, who was in a fit of giggled. She apparently knew more than he did. “May I ask what you find so funny?”

Rence pulled on her brother’s arm, dragging him down a bit as she told her story.

“Blue Knight told me a story that involves a kiss!” The Princess watched as Lotor raised an eyebrow at her, daring her to continue. “ It was a story how one shared their love with a kiss, locking lips.” Rence was trying hard to explain the alien message to her brother. “Hm, how one would confess for their option of courtship.”

Lotor stopped short. The realization started to dawn on him. Lance had a fancy for him and Lotor did one of the most stupidest things he had done in years.

He left him hanging. 

Rence was in bliss, not aware of Lotor’s predicament.

“Blue Knight talks about you.” Rence giggled. “Like one would talk about…”

Lotor kneeled down, looking at his sister in her yellow eyes, resting his hands on her shoulders.

“I’ve made a mistake…” Lotor proclaimed, causing the girl to frown at his confession. “He kissed me and I left him. He told you his Earth stories.” Lotor watched as the little girl lowered her ears at him. “What do I do?”

The Princess was in shock at her brother’s actions, but then again, she didn’t blame him, Earth customs were rather strange.

“I’m only six! Don’t ask me?” Rence thought for a moment. “But you do need to apologize.You might have hurt his feelings.”

Lotor let his arms drop, thinking of what to do next. He ran his hands through his long white hair. 

“I need to leave you with your wet nurse again.” Lotor broke into a small smile, causing Rence to react in joy. “ I must right my wrong to the Blue Knight.”

Rence nodded, quickly pulling Lotor along.

“Well hurry! Blue Knight won’t be here forever.” The Princess hummed, joy in her heart. 

The Blue Knight made her brother happy and because of that, he was her hero. She knew that he was to leave, but she had hoped, if they left on good terms, the Blue Knight would return. 

****

Lance looked up at the image before him. It was a large planet. Blue and Green, almost like that of Earth. 

He was alone in the observation deck, he made sure of that before finding a spot to hide and relax. Hide and just wait for his time to be up and he could get out of there. He leaned on the cold pillar in the room, letting his shoulders sag. 

He wanted to go home.

A voice broke the silence in the room, causing Lance to jump. He was getting tired of how the Galra siblings always got him to jump.

“That’s the planet Xul.” Lotor, in his true form, the Galra form, walked up. His yellow eyes glowed in the dim light, causing Lance to be fixated on it. “It’s beautiful, isn’t it?”

Lance looked away from Lotor and back at the planet.

“It’s huge.” Lance let his blue eyes waver. He couldn’t look at Lotor, not after the embarrassing stunt he pulled. “It’s bigger than my planet, Earth.”

It was small talk, but it was better than nothing. Lance watched as Lotor walked closer, his Galra body being outlined by the glow the planet was giving. His heart raced a bit faster as he got closer, wondering what the Galra would do.

“Tomorrow your team will be waiting for you.” Lotor seemed to say that with a whim of sadness in his voice. “I will miss you.”

Lance seemed to let his guard down at that, the look of shock on his face. Lotor didn’t seem mad that he had kissed him. 

“You’re not mad at me?” Lance questioned, his heart rate beating faster than is really should be.

Lotor let out a deep laugh, something that sent chills down Lance’s spine. That laugh was true and free, almost musical and capturing his heart again. 

“I don’t want to be mad at you.” Lotor confessed. “It’s the opposite really…”

Lotor watched as Lance took his words slowly, before walking closer and being an arms width apart. Lance moved his attention away from the planet Xul, to Lotor, who looked happy for once in the skin he was born in.

“What…” Lance let out a whisper, he couldn’t believe this. Lotor who walked out the door with the look of confusion, was now here with the look of determination. 

Lotor’s large hand came up, resting on Lance’s face, lifting it up to meet his lips as he kneeled down.

Lance’s shock fell away to a soft bliss as that kiss deepened. He reached his own hands up, able to wrap his arms around Lotor’s neck and push harder against his lips with that new leverage. When Lance felt like he couldn’t take it anymore, he pulled away, trying to catch his own breath.

His face was flushed, more so when Lotor wrapped his own arms around his waist, lifting him up. Even in the dim of the room, he could see a deep blush in Lotor’s turtle like features as well. 

“I am sorry for leaving you without an answer...” He looked up at Lance, as he held him high. His yellow eyes holding a deep lust. “Am I forgiven?”

Lance looked down, his lips still tingling from Lotor’s “apology”. He gave a large grin, resting his head on the Galra’s smooth brow. His blue eyes locking onto those bright yellows. 

“You ask me that now, after I kissed you back?” Lance leaned in, bringing Lotor into a hug. His white tuft of hair, tickled Lance’s arms and nose as he pressed his body tighter to him. “I’m glad you came to me in this form.”

Lotor hugged Lance back, breathing in the man’s sent. A heavy feeling in his heart as he looked at the plant Xul. Lance seemed to feel the change in the man’s posture, pulling away to look at him. 

“You will be gone tomorrow.” Lotor spoke with sadness in his deep voice, leaving Lance to let his hands dance over Lotor’s face.

“But I’m here right now.” Lance felt brave again, letting his lips clash his Lotor’s before whispering on his lips. “and I’ll be yours for tonight.”

Lotor seemed to purr at that, causing Lance to laugh in that kiss. It was quickly silenced when Lotor lowered Lance down, his eyes never leaving Lance’s body.

“Come with me to my chamber…” Lotor reached his hand out, his Galra body changing into that his Altean like form. “If you do not mind…”

Lance grabbed that out stretched hand letting Lotor pull him along to an unfamlar path. They had till tomorrow and neither of them would let it slip from their clasps hands.

***  
Follow me to the chambers  
http://archiveofourown.org/works/10024139

****

Lotor pushed himself up on the bed. His long white hair seemed to blanketed the area. He looked to his left, where Lance was fast asleep on his side. His brown body marked with light red marks and spots over his skin. 

Lotor leaned over Lance, bringing the man close to his body. The movement caused Lance to stir, resting back on Lotor’s chest as the man seemed to encase him. The presser was tight, almost like Lotor didn’t want to let him go.

“Its tomorrow…” Lotor whispered, that heaviness in his voice again.

Lance let out a heavy sigh, not opening his eyes.

“I know…”

They laid, unmoving in that moment, hanging on to the last few hours they would have with each other.

Lotor pressed his face into Lance’s shoulder, letting out huff.

“Please don’t go back…”

Lance finally opened his eyes, the blues resting on the wall before him.

“I’m sorry…” Lance felt that grip tightened. “But I can’t.” He let out a huff. “We can’t…”

Lotor rested his brow on the mid of Lance’s back, getting lost in his smell.

“I know…” Lotor bit back his anger. He pushed back that thought. “You are a Paladin of Voltron and I the Prince of the Galra Empire…”

Lotor could have taken Lance as a prisoner, but he didn’t. He didn’t do it then and he wasn’t going to do it now. He cared too much for the human in his arms and forcing him to stay was something he was not going to do.

Lance held tight to Lotor’s hands. 

“Let’s meet again…” Lance hummed. “And not say goodbye.”

Lotor doubted when they met again, it wouldn’t be under peaceful rule. It would probably be tragic, as Lotor knew in time he would have to fight Voltron once his father commanded it. He knew Zarkon would used Rence as his trump card. Lotor knew he would follow that command to end Voltron if need me. End Lance with a simple snap off his neck.

For now, Lotor could pretend. Pretend that neither of them had a role to play on different sides. Pretend that the day would never end and that goodbye would never come. Pretend that Voltron could win. 

He took a deep breath, before relaxing.

“I’d like that very much.”

Tomorrow was today, as was the pain in their hearts.

****

 

TBC

***


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